Late December, Konoha Year 60
By the end of December, the Land of Fire had grown cold. Village missions gradually dwindled, but the villagers themselves became increasingly active. The reason was simple: the New Year festival was fast approaching.
Ninja who usually spent long periods on duty outside the village returned one after another. The village's population swelled, and unfamiliar ninja wearing Konoha headbands appeared frequently on the streets. A festive atmosphere permeated everything, from top to bottom.
Standing atop the Hokage Monument, Haruno Sakura gazed down at the entire village, feeling a wave of emotion. The last time she'd celebrated the New Year festival in the village was three years ago. Shortly after, Jiraiya had taken her to apprentice under Tsunade, and she hadn't returned for three years.
So much had happened since her return this year. She'd met Karin, met Junko, Sasuke hadn't been lured away by Orochimaru, the Third Hokage hadn't died but had instead become Sasuke's master, and Naruto and Hinata had also...
She glanced back at Naruto training with Hinata behind her and smiled. Ever since that "date" she'd had with Naruto, which had successfully ended with him carrying Hinata home, Hinata seemed less prone to fainting when interacting with him. Although Naruto was dense when it came to emotions, he seemed to vaguely sense Hinata's different attitude towards him. Hinata wasn't the best sparring partner for him, but remembering how Sakura had intentionally or unintentionally mentioned Hinata during the Chunin Exams or at other times, Naruto had finally, somewhat hesitantly, sought Hinata out.
"Alright, let's head back," Sakura called out to the pair, noticing Hinata was panting heavily.
Naruto had come looking for her to spar today, but training with him no longer pushed Sakura to improve. So, she had suggested he find Hinata instead. With the festival approaching and Sakura having nothing better to do, she had tagged along. It was probably fortunate she had; otherwise, the Hyuga clan likely wouldn't have let Hinata be alone with Naruto, given his status as a Jinchuriki. Even if Hinata wasn't highly regarded by Hiashi, they would still worry.
"I... I can still go on... huff..." Hinata deactivated her Byakugan, clearly low on chakra.
"That's enough. Let's go. If we don't head back soon, your family will come looking for you," Sakura said.
Hinata could only concede. With the festival near, Genin had fewer missions, and Hinata cherished opportunities like this, reluctant to return so quickly. But belonging to a prominent clan, she knew staying out too late wasn't acceptable.
The three descended the hill the way they came. When they reached the village entrance, Sakura said, "Naruto, why don't you walk Hinata home? I'll head off separately."
"Huh? Oh, okay," Naruto replied, a little downcast. If asked what he hated most, it was definitely saying goodbye. A lively group eventually dwindling until he was left alone.
After bidding them farewell, Sakura headed towards the Ninja Academy. Junko should be finishing classes soon, and Sakura decided to go see her. It occurred to her that this was the first time she'd gone to pick Junko up since she enrolled. Taking care of her couldn't just be empty words.
The Academy gate had been exceptionally crowded the past couple of days. The reason was simple: civilian ninja working outside the village had returned. Parents who weren't often around naturally wanted to reconnect with their children upon their return.
Watching the bustling crowd, Sakura felt a pang of nostalgia, reminiscent of the travel rush back in her old world. Whether ninja or civilian, the faces around her showed fond, loving expressions as they scanned the students emerging from the school, searching for their own children.
"Father!" "Anko, you've grown taller!" "Over here, Shota!" "Ah, Big Brother, when did you get back?" "Is that you, Naoki?" "Father, it's me." "I almost didn't recognize you..." "How did things go at school today..."
Various warm greetings drifted into Sakura's ears. Watching these parents pick up their children filled her with an inexplicable sense of superiority. Perhaps this is the smugness of a graduate looking down on current students, she mused with amusement.
After a long while, the parents who had gathered at the gate gradually left with their children. Yet, Sakura waited and waited, but Junko never appeared.
"Guess I should go look inside," Sakura murmured, certain she hadn't missed her. Junko definitely hadn't come out. Could she have been kept after class by a teacher? But I don't recall that ever happening at the Ninja Academy.
Sakura noticed a few parents still lingering by the gate, but they couldn't enter; the Academy didn't permit parents inside during pickup. Shouldn't be a problem for me, though. I still look like a kid.
She walked smoothly into the school grounds. As expected, the guarding ninja didn't stop her. However, Sakura then felt a bit lost. She realized she probably, maybe, didn't actually know which class Junko was in.
Should be easy enough to find now, though. Relying on her memory of the school from three years ago, Sakura searched room by room but still found no sign of Junko. She did, however, run into Iruka-sensei.
"Sakura! What are you looking for?" Iruka asked in surprise, opening his office door, ready to head home, only to see Sakura peering around the hallway.
"Oh, Iruka-sensei!" Hearing his voice, Sakura turned and saw Iruka looking at her curiously. "I'm here to pick someone up. Iruka-sensei, do you know which class Muto Junko is in?"
"Muto Junko?" Iruka paused, then realization dawned. "Ah, you mean the little girl in the graduating class?"
"Yes, yes, that's her. I came to get her," Sakura nodded.
"I remember Ueno-sensei is her homeroom teacher. I think Ueno-sensei was holding a practical training session today. Heard it was some intensive training to prepare for next year's graduation exam," Iruka explained with a slightly awkward smile. "Can't compare to your year group. This cohort... probably not many will pass the exam to become Genin, so they have to practice harder."
Iruka wasn't referring to the Academy's general pass rate, but the rate of becoming actual Genin under a Jonin leader. Those rejected by their assigned Jonin had to return to the Academy. Some might give up being ninja, while others continued their studies.
"Is it in the training grounds?" Sakura asked.
"Yes," Iruka nodded.
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei. Goodbye, then!" Sakura thanked him and ran off towards the training grounds.
Iruka watched Sakura's retreating back with some emotion. Truly the Fifth Hokage's disciple. Already a Chunin at twelve. Sakura had only spent three years at the Academy; Iruka certainly didn't take credit for her achievements.
"Iruka-sensei, who was that just now?" Another ninja emerged from the office, following Iruka's gaze towards Sakura's disappearing figure.
"Her?" Iruka smiled. Regardless, he had taught her. "That's Haruno Sakura."
"That's her?" The other teacher looked astonished. "The genius who became a Chunin at twelve!"
Sakura ran, following the path from memory until she reached the training grounds. Sure enough, there they were. One of the ninja held a notebook – likely the Ueno-sensei Iruka mentioned. The Academy students were engaged in three-on-three combat drills.
Ueno-sensei spotted the girl approaching from a distance and immediately stepped forward to intercept her. "Who are you?"
"Ueno-sensei? I'm Haruno Sakura, one of Iruka's former students. I'm here to pick up my sister," Sakura replied politely to the somewhat dark-skinned ninja.
"Your sister? Who is she?" Ueno-sensei asked, frowning.
"My sister is Muto Junko," Sakura answered.
"Ah, Junko's sister. However, we're currently conducting intensive training. I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit later to take her home," Ueno-sensei explained.
"That's fine. I can just wait on the side. I'd also like to see how Junko has been progressing recently," Sakura said with a smile.
"Alright then," Ueno nodded. He turned and saw the students in the training area looking their way. His face hardened as he reprimanded them, "What are you doing?! As ninja, you let yourselves be distracted by something else? If this were a battle against an enemy, you'd all be dead already!"
Seeing Ueno-sensei's stern expression, the six students facing off resumed their battle. The remaining students watched the two ongoing matches.
"My apologies for the display," Ueno-sensei said, his complexion still a bit dark.
"It's alright. They're still in the Academy, after all," Sakura offered a polite laugh.
"No, they are far behind your generation," Ueno-sensei shook his head, turning his attention back to the sparring groups.
That's only natural, Sakura didn't deny it internally. Her year group had been packed with students from prominent ninja clans. Normally, the Academy population consisted mostly of civilian students. Such a concentration of clan heirs like in her year was indeed rare.
"Junko is quite impressive," Ueno-sensei suddenly commented. "She wasn't distracted by your arrival just now."
"Thank you for looking after Junko," Sakura thanked him again. "I'd like to know how she's been doing lately."
Ueno-sensei looked at Junko among the students with a satisfied expression. "When she first started, she knew absolutely nothing. If you ask me, she should have been placed in the first year. But Lady Hokage insisted on putting her in the graduating class."
"Then, over this past month, Junko has transformed day by day. I have never seen a student with such talent. If we're talking purely about ability, she has already surpassed every other student in the class."
That's only natural, Sakura thought again. She had witnessed firsthand how hard Junko worked; even Sakura herself had never pushed herself that hard. Sakura served as Junko's sparring partner every grueling night, inevitably broadening Junko's perspective. Other civilian students simply didn't have such opportunities.
"Three-on-three ends here."
As one team was defeated, Ueno-sensei declared the end of that drill, but then immediately added, "Now, we move to individual matches. The winner stays and accepts challenges from the next person until defeated."
A collective groan rose from the surrounding students.
"Ueno-sensei, it's already very late! Can we do this tomorrow?" "Yeah, yeah, sensei! We haven't even eaten dinner!" "Ueno-sensei, my father is still waiting for me at the gate!"
"All of you, shut up!" Ueno-sensei roared, his face cold. "You are future ninja! On the battlefield, the enemy won't give you time to negotiate! If you don't want to survive, you can leave right now!"
Instant silence fell over the students. Tears welled up in the eyes of a few girls.
Sakura was somewhat surprised. This Ueno-sensei was incredibly strict, a complete contrast to Iruka-sensei's teaching style. However, Ueno-sensei's method was ultimately the correct one. Being a ninja wasn't child's play; it involved risking your life.
"This time, I won't call names. Who wants to go first?" Ueno-sensei maintained his stern expression.
Silence hung in the air. No one dared meet his gaze. They had just finished the three-on-three drills and were exhausted. Now they faced continuous individual battles, and knowing Ueno-sensei, no one dared hold back. He was known for his strictness.
"I..."
A small figure stepped out from the crowd. It was Junko. Sakura could see Junko was clearly fatigued; she must have participated in the earlier three-on-three drills before Sakura arrived. Yet, she still stepped forward.
"Very good." Ueno-sensei nodded approvingly at Junko. "Who will be her first opponent?"
At this, hushed whispers immediately broke out among the surrounding students. Sakura pricked up her ears, certain it had something to do with Junko.
"Her again, hmph..." "I heard she's from the Land of Grass. No idea why she's here." "I secretly heard she's an orphan, abandoned by her parents..." "Hmph, if Lady Hokage weren't so merciful, she wouldn't have taken her in..." "Maybe she's a spy sent by the Land of Grass. Her cover will be blown sooner or later..." "Keep it down, she might hear you! But yeah, she probably is a spy. Otherwise, how could she go from knowing nothing a month ago to being strong enough that even Kazuki can't beat her now?" "Exactly..."
Hearing this, blood rushed to Sakura's head. For a split second, she wanted nothing more than to smash those students' faces in. It wasn't just about bullying; unlike with Naruto, Sakura felt a persistent guilt towards Junko. Junko's suffering was inextricably linked to her own actions. In Sakura's heart, Junko already occupied a significant place.
"Calm down!" Ueno-sensei seemed to notice Sakura's distress and quickly interjected.
"Hooo..." Sakura took a deep breath, suppressing the impulse. "My apologies, Ueno-sensei."
"It's alright. Lady Hokage told me about your situation with her later on. I understand," Ueno-sensei said calmly, looking at Junko in the training area.
Sakura glanced sideways at Ueno-sensei's serious profile, rather surprised. She had initially assumed he didn't know who she was or Junko's background. She hadn't expected him to know all along; she'd almost been fooled. Now that's the composure a ninja should have.
In that case, Sakura mused, Lady Tsunade probably told him about Junko partly to have him monitor her.
Among the students, a boy with an honest face but a resentful expression glared at Junko. He, Kazuki, had been the top student in this class. But since Junko arrived, she had surpassed him in just one short month. Now, Ueno-sensei's attention was entirely focused on Junko. He couldn't accept it.
"You two, go fight her," Kazuki muttered to the two boys flanking him like lackeys.
"But... but we can't beat her," one of them stammered.
"You don't need to beat her! Just wear down her stamina! I'll finish her off myself!" Kazuki ground out through clenched teeth.
The two boys shivered involuntarily at Kazuki's hateful gaze. "But... won't we get punished by Ueno-sensei if we do that?" one asked worriedly. They knew Kazuki resented Junko and feared getting dragged into trouble if Kazuki went too far.
"Don't worry. It's just normal sparring. Even Ueno-sensei can't say anything," Kazuki assured them, his eyes practically shooting sparks at Junko.
Just as Ueno-sensei was losing patience and about to call someone out, a student finally stepped forward.
"I'll be her opponent, Ueno-sensei!" A boy with refined features spoke up.
"Oh! It's Takashi," Ueno-sensei nodded.
"Junko, please teach me," Takashi said, standing before Junko and forming the Seal of Confrontation.
Junko nodded and formed the seal as well. "Please teach me."
"Takashi actually went first," Kazuki muttered, surprised. "But that's fine. He's definitely better at wearing down her stamina than you two." Takashi was the only one who could rival Kazuki before Junko arrived, which was why they didn't get along well.
"Battle, begin!"
Junko's eyes sharpened as she faced Takashi. This boy was as strong as Kazuki. Shuriken instantly flew from her hand, followed by Junko herself, kunai gripped tightly, rushing towards Takashi. Takashi easily dodged the shuriken and met her charge, kunai aimed to strike. Junko didn't clash head-on, instead dropping low for a leg sweep. Takashi reacted quickly, leaping just before the sweep connected, then throwing his kunai at Junko below.
Poof!
A cloud of smoke erupted. When it cleared, a log impaled with a kunai fell to the ground. Junko reappeared a short distance away from Takashi. Seeing her, Takashi drew another kunai and charged again.
"Looks like Junko's won," Sakura commented.
"Indeed," Ueno-sensei agreed.
In the center of the field, Junko stood motionless as Takashi charged. He easily closed the distance and brought his kunai to Junko's neck. But in an instant, the hair on Takashi's neck stood on end. Before he could react, his feet tangled, tripping him to the ground. His left arm was immediately twisted behind his back. The one pinning him was Junko, her expression still impassive.
"I lose," Takashi conceded readily. The moment his kunai touched the clone, he knew he had already lost.
Hearing Takashi yield, Junko released him. The two then formed the Seal of Reconciliation.
The shuriken Junko threw at the start were merely a feint. Their target wasn't Takashi, but the ground around him. Her main body followed the shuriken towards him, aiming to get close to the area where the shuriken landed. Then, using the smoke from the Body Replacement Technique as cover, she used the Transformation Technique to turn into one of the shuriken on the ground, while simultaneously creating a clone to further deceive her opponent. If Takashi had chosen to throw his kunai instead of closing in, perhaps he wouldn't have lost so quickly. But Takashi charged straight past the scattered shuriken on the ground. By the time his kunai reached "Junko's" neck, he realized it was a clone. The real Junko, disguised as a shuriken, attacked from behind, subduing him in one move.
Sakura had never seen Junko use this kind of tactic during their private training sessions. This must be the first time she's used it. Is it because I'm here? To show me? Regardless, Junko's progress was truly immense. Her use of the Three Basic Jutsu was, arguably, better than Sakura's own; Sakura generally relied on pushing through with powerful ninjutsu directly.